


When Everything is Perfect

by homosociallyyours



Series: Like One of Your French Girls [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Butch/Femme, Cunnilingus, F/F, First Time, Fluff, Girl Direction, Meeting the Parents, Miscommunication, Vaginal Fisting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 10:31:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16473872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homosociallyyours/pseuds/homosociallyyours
Summary: It's the six month anniversary of their first date, and Louis has planned the perfect weekend for Harry. But even perfect plans can have their problems.Inspired by the prompt "a cute awkward date night where everything seems to go wrong but it’s just so right," but taken a few steps further. It's cute, it's awkward, but it's a whole damn weekend.Fortunately things really do go very right in the end.





	When Everything is Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the Girl Direction Fic Fest, for the prompt:  
> a cute awkward date night where everything seems to go wrong but it’s just so right
> 
> The title comes from a Doria Roberts song, "Perfect," which is cheesy and gay and fitting for these adorable little lesbians. 
> 
> Finally getting around to thanking all the people who helped me with this fic! The wonderful [KK](http://catfishau.tumblr.com) was a great britpicker and kept me from making a few really silly mistakes. [April](http://aprillikesthings.tumblr.com) came across fandom lines to be a secondary smut reader for me because of my lack of confidence (bless her for it). And of course [statementlou](http://statementlou.tumblr.com) was my beta in shining armor, the biggest help in getting things working story wise, smut wise, and so on. Truly couldn't do it without her!!

“It’s going to be so adorable even I might get sick of us by the end of the weekend.” Louis shoved a few extra t-shirts into her bag and smiled to herself, only shaken from her momentary reverie when a bundled up pair of socks hit her in the face. She looked up at Zayn, who was staring back, shaking her head. 

“You’re already bloody annoying, and that’s with you spending most of your time at Harry’s. If I had to see the two of you together any more I’d lose my shit.” Zayn had the slightest hint of a smile on her lips, a sign that she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Still can’t believe you’re doing this, though. Aren’t you even a bit worried it won’t go to plan?” 

‘This’ was Louis’ brilliant idea to surprise Harry with an entire weekend alone together under the guise of bringing her to meet Louis’ parents. What Harry didn’t know is that they were going out of town-- had already left, according to Louis’ mum’s facebook --and Louis was planning on spending the entire weekend on one extended domestic date with Harry, alone in the house and free to do whatever they liked. 

She’d told her mum that she’d be going home for the weekend, making an excuse about seeing a friend who’d gone off to the states for school and was coming back for a short visit, so the neighbors knew that she’d be around. There was no chance that she’d accidentally set off the alarm or be found out for not washing the guest towels. The only one surprised would be Harry, who’d show up expecting a stressful family weekend and instead get the joy of having a weekend alone with her girlfriend. 

“You’re the most obvious person on the planet,” Zayn groaned, tossing a bra at Louis from the bed. “Like, when you’re thinking about her your face goes like this,” Zayn stared off into space dreamily, her lips parting as she smiled softly. And shit, Louis probably did look like that, actually. 

“Fuck off, I don’t look like that. I look hot and butch and you’re just jealous that you d--” Louis was stopped by a pillow to the face that she grasped at quickly with both hands. “Is this war, Zaynie? Did you just start a pillow war with _me_ , Louis Tomlinson, pillow fight champion of not only this floor, but this entire dorm? A foolish mis--” She was cut off by another pillow to the face-- where was Zayn finding them? How many pillows were even _on_ Louis’ bed? --and abandoned her speech in favor of a shout and throwing herself onto the bed, pillow in hand, in a full-fledged attack on Zayn. 

Once the pillow fight was over and Louis had shoved Zayn out of her room, she finished her packing and got into bed, eagerly pulling out her mobile to text with Harry. She had several texts waiting for her, which she read through as she was snuggling under her blanket. 

Harry: Hope your packing is going well. I’m so excited to meet your parents this weekend!  
Harry: Does your mum like apricot jam?  
Harry: Nevermind, actually  
Harry: She’s not allergic to flowers, is she?  
Harry: Forget I asked. I’m being ridiculous I think. Niall says I am anyway

Louis giggled, imagining Harry typing out these texts as she stood in her dorm, probably considering going out to a shop to get a hostess gift for Louis’ mum. 

Louis: Don’t worry about it! No gift necessary. She always says something like “having u present is all the present I need” it’s terrible  
Louis: Besides, I’ll be there first tomorrow, so if anything you’d need to bring something for ME  
Harry: If anyone gets me as a present it’s you  
Harry: I’ll have something for your mum, though. Nothing big. But hopefully she’ll like it.  
Louis: You didn’t have to! But she’ll love anything.  
Louis: I should sleep. Love you baby.  
Harry: I love you too. Text me when you get there and I’ll text when I get on the train later. Goodnight!  
Louis: XXXX night!!

As she plugged her mobile in to charge overnight, Louis felt the slightest bit of guilt for making Harry think she was going to meet Louis’ parents this weekend. It was obviously a bit stressful for her, and she’d likely be let down once she realized that she wasn’t actually meeting them. The feeling passed, though, when she imagined opening the door to her house and letting Harry in to find a pillow fort in the den, a dinner table perfectly set for a romantic dinner, and her parents’ jet tub prepared for as many candle lit bubble baths as Harry could dream of taking. She fell asleep with a smile on her face just thinking about it. 

The train ride up was uneventful, and Louis took a car to the house a few minutes away. She let herself in, punching in the alarm code that her mum had texted as she bumped the door closed with her bum. She dropped her bags by the door and headed toward the kitchen to look for a note from her parents, surprised when she heard a questioning meow from below her. Looking down, she saw a tuxedo cat sniffing at her shoe before looking up and meowing at her again, its expression cautious but interested. 

“When did they get a cat?” Louis asked the cat, reaching down to let it sniff at the back of her hand before she petted the top of its head gently. She stood and walked into the kitchen, the cat following close behind. It jumped up onto one of the counters as Louis read the note her parents had left for her, all of it written in her mum’s looping cursive. It read: 

Hi baby!! Dad and I are so sorry to miss you this weekend! As you can see, there’s been a new addition to the family. Hopefully you’ve met your baby sister, Marlene, already. A neighbor got her from a relative who couldn’t keep her, and I just couldn’t resist. She won’t be much trouble, but I’ve left some neighbors you can call if you need help. Be a love and keep her food and water full? She’s got treats in the pantry and a few toys in the den. She loves the laser pointer! Empty the litter if you can, but if you don’t, it’ll be done on Sunday. The fridge has some leftover roast, and I stocked the cereal for you. Keys are on the table by the door, but the car has been a bit off lately, so it’s best if you don’t drive it too much. Call or text if you have any problems! I’ve left the number for the hotel, too, so if you can’t reach our mobiles you can give that a try. Love you boobear! -Mum and Dad

Louis sighed, looking down at the cat where it sat perched peacefully on the counter in front of her. “Well, Marlene. I’m your big sister, I suppose. Promise not to tell Mum and Dad about me bringing my girlfriend ‘round before they’ve met her, and I’ll promise not to tell them I’ve let you get on the counters all weekend, yeah?” Louis held out her hand and the cat gave it a headbutt, which Louis figured was about the same as a proper handshake. “Alright, let’s get everything ready for Haz, hm?” 

The next few hours passed quickly. Louis did all the laundry she’d stuffed into her bag, ate most of the leftovers in the fridge, and began pillow-and-blanket fort construction in the den. Marlene mostly watched her from close by, following behind Louis wherever she went but keeping enough distance that she could easily run off when Louis closed the fridge door too loudly or sent a pile of pillows toppling over. 

When she got Harry’s text saying that she was boarding her train, Louis felt mostly prepared for the weekend to start. All she had to do was pull together some ingredients for dinner and get the candles ready around the bath. The candles were easy enough-- her mum already had a few out anyway --but the dinner was proving a bit more difficult, mostly because Louis was a pretty terrible cook. In the end she pulled some chicken from the freezer to thaw, knowing there were enough other things that she could just help Harry cook something. She set the table nicely and made sure that everything was in order, and then she grabbed the keys and her mobile and shoved her wallet into her back pocket before driving over to pick Harry up from the train. 

Even though it’d really been only a couple of days since they’d seen each other, when Harry appeared on the steps at the station Louis felt her heart start to race as though it’d been weeks or months since they’d been together. She jumped out of the car and ran over to Harry, taking her bags and setting them down so she could give her a proper full bodied hug and a kiss. 

“Missed you,” Louis breathed against Harry’s neck. She took a moment to appreciate Harry’s scent, from the light citrus of her shampoo to the mint of her gum and the faint vanilla and flower aroma that always seemed to cling to her skin. “Why do you always smell so good?” she asked as she dragged her teeth across Harry’s neck. 

Harry pushed her away a bit, looking around Louis toward the car. “Are your parents with you? Don’t want them to see us kissing before I’ve even had a chance to meet them.” 

“Oh. No, no they’re not with me.” 

“Ohhh. Well then, come back. I missed you too. How does two days feel like two million when you’re not there?” Harry ran her hands through Louis’ short hair, tugging gently at the strands in the back as she leaned in for a kiss. They would’ve stayed locked together like that if it weren’t for a few other exiting passengers loudly clearing their throats as they brushed past, one of them nearly tripping over Harry’s bag. 

“We should get in the car, I guess,” Louis said, picking up Harry’s bags and walking back to the car. She pulled at the door handle and it thumped uselessly. “Oh, locked. Um,” Louis reached into her right pocket for the keys, and not finding them there, tried her left. And both her back pockets. She was about to look in her jacket when Harry squeezed her arm. 

“Think you left them in the ignition, babe,” Harry said, tapping on the window. Sure enough, there they were, Louis’ mum’s keychain and house keys dangling there, so close but too far away. 

“Shit. I’ll call mum, she’ll probably have a spare hidden.” Louis reached to pull out her phone only to have Harry clear her throat. 

“That’s in the car too.” 

And yes, Louis’ mobile was in central cup holder. Inside the car. With the keys. At least she had her wallet. 

“Is that your wallet in the passenger side?” 

Shit. 

“Do you remember your mum’s mobile number? If you can, maybe we can call and have her come pick us up. Or your dad, maybe?” Harry pulled out her phone as Louis tried pulling the door handle again, hoping that the few minutes that had passed had somehow magically unlocked the car.

Louis definitely didn’t know her mum’s mobile number. She could probably recall their house phone if she really tried, but of course nobody was there. “There’s no way. Um. If you can get us a car back to the house it’s not far. There’s probably a spare inside, and it’s close enough to walk back for the car.” They rode back to the house holding hands in the backseat of the Uber, Harry asking questions about what to expect from Louis’ parents and Louis answering as vaguely as she could. 

When they finally reached the house, Louis paused on the way up to the front door. “Um, so. I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she said, watching Harry’s face carefully. 

“About what?” Harry hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder, a worried look passing over her face. “Oh no, did you tell them I’m like, a dancer, or something? Or sporty? Or-- do they not even know I’m coming?” 

“No, no, no, nothing like that, love. It’s just, well. They aren’t actually here this weekend. I invited you so we could have a romantic holiday together, just the two of us.” Louis was beaming as she spoke, excited to finally reveal her plan to Harry. “I wanted it to be a surprise, so I made up the part about meeting my mum and dad. Are you excited?” 

Harry’s face fell. “Oh. I mean, yeah, of course I’m excited to spend a weekend away with you. It’s just. I thought it would be sort of special to meet your mum and dad is all.” Harry smiled wanly. “And I kind of stayed up most of the night making a cross-stitch for your mum? I thought if I was going to meet her for the first time I should try to give her something nice, and I didn’t want to ride the train with flowers, but I thought a picture of flowers could work?” Harry reached inside her rucksack and produced a small gift bag that she held out toward Louis. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby! I didn’t think you’d do anything after we texted last night.” Louis pulled out the cross-stitch and turned it around in her hand for a moment. It was small, with pretty purple and blue flowers on bright green stems, and Harry had even put the date at the bottom, which was a lovely touch. Louis put it back in the bag and looked up at Harry, taking in her frown and slightly furrowed brow. “It’s really lovely, Haz. Exactly the kind of thing mum will love. She’s going to like you more than she likes me, probably.” 

“When she meets me,” Harry said, eyes downcast as she worried at her lip. “Sorry, Lou, I swear I’m excited to spend the weekend with you--” 

Louis interrupted Harry, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she spoke. “Taking baths, cooking breakfast together in a proper kitchen, standing in the garden in our dressing gowns to watch the sunset…” 

“Yes, all of that.” Harry rested her head on Louis’ shoulder with a sigh. “I think I just got all worked up about meeting your parents and didn’t really get enough sleep, and now I’m tired and cranky.” Her voice had that edge to it that usually only crept in very late at night or early in the morning. Louis turned her face to kiss the top of Harry’s head. 

“Let’s get you inside and you can have a nap, and I’ll walk back for the car by myself. I’ll come up and cuddle you when I get back, yeah? How about that, little spoon?” 

Harry lifted her head from Louis’ shoulder and nodded, a yawn escaping her mouth before she could speak. “That sounds amazing,” she said, standing aside as Louis checked for a spare key. Thankfully it was still in its old spot under one of the potted plants, and Louis tried to think of any important things to tell Harry as she fit it into the lock. 

“Umm, let’s see. My room is top of the stairs, first door on the left. You’ll be able to tell from how completely gay it is.” 

“Ooh, can’t wait!” 

“Help yourself to tea or snacks in the kitchen. Tea’s in the corner cupboard up top, mugs are to the right of it. There’s a telly in the den if you want to watch something, but might be best if you left it. The remote’s not that obvious. Think that’s it.” Louis opened the door to let Harry in and grabbed the spare car key that was hanging nearby. “I’ll be back soon. Love you.” They exchanged a kiss before Louis closed the door and headed back to the train station to retrieve the car, hoping nothing had gone wrong with it. 

When she reached the car, she was relieved to see that the windows were all still intact and her phone and wallet were just where she’d left them. The spare key stuck just a bit and she had a moment of worry, but then the door unlocked and she felt like things had finally turned around. The whole thing took a little longer than half an hour, and when she pulled up to the house she was feeling pretty good about the rest of the evening. Until she checked her mobile. Harry had sent several texts not long after getting into the house, and none of them were good. 

Harry: There’s a cat here  
Harry: Lou I’m really REALLY allergic to cats  
Harry: Does it go in all the rooms? Can it go outside?  
Harry: I need you to get me some allergy medication. I’m checking to see if I have an inhaler with me. :(  
Harry: I’m in the garden. Can’t be inside the house anymore. 

Louis opened the door and was immediately greeted by Marlene, who meowed loudly and went running off toward the back door as if to alert Louis to the presence of an intruder. “Yeah, I know, Harry’s here and she’s really allergic to you. But we’ll figure something out.” She opened the back door, careful to keep Marlene inside, and found Harry sitting with her chin in her hands, a box of tissues at her side as she sniffed loudly. 

“I’m back, baby. I just saw your texts.” Louis placed her hands on Harry’s shoulders and rubbed at them gently. “How’re you feeling?” 

Harry’s first response was a sneeze and another deep sniffle. “Had to come outside,” she said. “S’really bad.” She turned to look up at Louis, her eyes red-rimmed and her nose running slightly. “Is there a chance you have any allergy medicine here?” They did, fortunately. As they waited for the medicine to kick in, Harry leaned back in her chair dramatically. “Really wish you’d told me there was a cat. I would’ve brought my inhaler and the 24 hour medicine, and I could’ve taken it _before_ we got here and not after.” 

“I’m sorry, baby, but the cat was a surprise to me as well. We’ve never had one before, and mum never mentioned her. She’s really cute, though! When the medicine starts working maybe you can get to know her. Did I tell you her name’s Marlene? Like Marlene Dietrich, who wore a tuxedo? S’a pretty gay name for a cat, huh?” Louis turned and looked inside, finding Marlene sitting on the counter and staring out at them. 

“I guess,” Harry said, still sniffling. “Can’t really think about getting close to her until I get better allergy medicine, though, so I don’t think you should plan on me hanging out with her much.” 

“Right, ‘course,” Louis said, reaching out for Harry’s hand. “Y’know, I’ll bet my parents haven’t let the cat go in the guest room. Maybe you can take a nap in there for a bit? See if the medicine kicks in any more, and if it doesn’t I’ll go get something else.” 

“Really? I’m so tired, and that sounds good. Better medicine sounds really good.” Harry blinked sleepily, giving Louis a soft smile. 

Louis took Harry upstairs, shooing Marlene when she tried to follow them, and showed her to the guest room. It did seem to be pretty cat free, and Harry got into bed immediately, not even bothering to get under the covers. Louis grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and pulled it over both of them as she cuddled up behind Harry, wrapping an arm around her waist. 

“I’m sorry you’re so allergic, love,” Louis whispered. “I’ll pick up whatever you need while you take a nap. ‘M just gonna give you a little cuddle before I go.” 

“Thanks, Lou. I’m not angry about the cat, really. Just haven’t had to deal with allergies this bad in a while. You’re being really great, though.” 

Louis kissed at the nape of Harry’s neck, her nose in Harry’s tied up curls. “Thanks, baby. I hate that things have gotten off to such a bad start. Hopefully they don’t continue like that.” 

Harry hummed, and Louis took that as a sign of agreement. It was only a few minutes before Harry was snoring softly, and Louis kissed her head and carefully moved from the bed, tiptoeing out of the room and shutting the door to keep the cat out. 

Her first priority was getting better medicine for Harry. She drove over to the nearest Boots and grabbed the things that google said were the best and strongest things for cat allergies. Harry was still napping when she returned, so she put everything she’d gotten on the bedside table and went back downstairs to try to make dinner. 

She set aside the chicken she’d put in the fridge earlier that was still mostly frozen and began digging for other things to cook along with it. She found some potatoes and an unopened package of parma ham and some mozzarella cheese that didn’t look too old, and decided to try googling a recipe that used those things. The one she found didn’t seem too difficult, though it did have a few more steps than most of the things she was used to cooking. 

Marlene jumped up on the counter as Louis was reading through the recipe, meowing plaintively until Louis looked at her. When she had Louis’ attention, she jumped down and trotted over to the pantry, batting the door with her paw and meowing again. “Oh! Treats?” Louis asked as Marlene meowed again. “Must be what you’re after.” Louis fed her a few treats and refilled her food bowl even though it wasn’t completely empty, and the cat settled in, happily crunching away as Louis went back to her recipe. 

With the chicken still mostly frozen, Louis realized she’d need to make a few adjustments, maybe sprinkle the cheese on top instead of stuffing it inside the breast, but other than that it seemed straightforward. She pulled out a pot to boil the potatoes in and a pan for the chicken and set to work. About an hour later, Louis wrapped the ham around the chicken and put it in the cooker to finish-- not quite as the recipe had recommended, but close enough, she thought --while she made her homemade mash. She didn’t think she really needed a recipe for that, since it was really just potatoes, mashed. Maybe with a bit of cream thrown in. 

Her mobile vibrated on the counter beside her and Louis looked at the ID, picking up when she saw who was calling. “Hey Mum! How’s the trip going?”

“Hi Baby! I’m glad you picked up. The trip’s been alright so far, nothing too eventful. Are you at home? Did you meet your new sister?” Louis could hear her mum’s smile through the phone, and it made her smile just as hard. 

“Yes! She’s lovely. My g--greatest new friend here at home.” Louis rolled her eyes at her terrible save, hoping her mum wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t as though she really thought her parents would mind her having Harry there for the weekend, but this _was_ the first time she’d had a girlfriend actually stay with her at home, so she didn’t want to risk letting it slip and having them cross with her like Harry had been. 

“I’m glad you like her. We’ve only had her for a few weeks and really just decided we’d keep her this week. It’s so good you’re there with her.” 

“Course Mum, it’s no prob--”

“Louuuu, I need you to come back and cuddle me!” 

“--lem. No problem. But. I should go now.” 

“Is everything alright, baby?” 

“Yes Mum, love you! I’ll call you tomorrow!” Louis ended the call and set her mobile down, walking to the stairs in time to see Harry leaning over them. She was wearing her short silk dressing gown with the tie done up loosely around her waist, just the barest hint of her darker pink knickers showing through the fabric. 

“I heard something about cuddles?” Louis said, looking up at Harry longingly. “From some beautiful little minx wearing her girlfriend’s favorite outfit?” 

“Shut up,” Harry said through a smile. “And come cuddle me. I took one of the allergy medicines you picked up and I’m feeling a bit better. Might even be able to be in the same room with Marlene later.”

Louis followed Harry back to the guest room, flipping up the back of her dressing gown until Harry swatted at her playfully. It was nice to have Harry feeling better, more like her usual self, instead of having her sick or annoyed, and Louis gave her a proper cuddling with more than a few kisses sprinkled in. 

“Think we have time for anything other than kissing before dinner? How far did you get with the cooking?” Harry asked, her hand skimming over Louis’ side. 

“Oh, we have ti--FUCK! Dinner!” Louis jumped up and bolted down the stairs, tugging down her shirt as she ran. The kitchen was only a little smoky until she opened the cooker to pull out the chicken. A fresh wave of smoke billowed out, Louis waving at it futilely as she pulled the pan out to see what, if anything, could be salvaged. The parma ham was blackened, and the chicken underneath didn’t look much better. No amount of mozzarella cheese could possibly save it. 

“Oh Lou, I’m sorry,” Harry said from the doorway. “I didn’t realize you’d already put it in the oven. It’s all my fault.” 

Louis shook her head. “No, it’s...I thought it was supposed to be in the oven for twenty or thirty minutes. It wasn’t that long that I was gone.” 

Harry put her arm around Louis and moved to turn off the gas. “Babe, it’s, um. Did you mean to set it this high?” 

“I followed the recipe,” Louis said. She pulled it back up on her mobile. “150. Was it at 150?” 

Harry shook her head, her eyes widening. “250. S’no wonder it burned.” She kissed Louis’ cheek and pulled her closer. “It happens to everyone sometimes, y’know. We’ll eat something else.” 

“We can still make the mash,” Louis said, nodding toward the pot that was on the hob. “Even I can’t fuck up boiling a potato.” 

“I don’t mind doing it, though,” Harry said, tying a secure knot in her dressing gown and picking up one of the cooked potatoes to have a taste. “I really do like cooking, y’know.” She wrinkled her nose as she chewed the potato, and Louis eyed her suspiciously. 

“What’s wrong with them? You made a face.” 

“Nothing! They’re fine, really they are,” Harry said, picking up the drained potatoes and tossing them back into the pot Louis had used to cook them. “Could do with a bit more cooking and some seasoning, is all.” Harry hesitated for a moment, and Louis poked her gently in the side to get her to finish. “And they’re a bit too waxy to use for mash, so maybe they’d be better roasted? Though we could still mash them if you’d like.”

“No, do what you think is best,” Louis said, dumping the chicken into the bin. “I’ve already done my part in ruining things for tonight.” She was ready to have a proper sulk, maybe go sit in the pillow fort with Marlene while Harry worked whatever kitchen magic she could, but Harry’s arms around her waist stopped her short. 

“You haven’t ruined anything.” 

Louis scoffed, looking pointedly down at the bin. 

“B’sides that,” Harry said, kissing the spot behind her ear that always made her shiver. “Why don’t we order delivery and save the potatoes for the morning? We can fry ‘em up like chips. It’ll be like our first date all over again.” 

Louis couldn’t help but smile, leaning back into Harry until she could rest her head on Harry’s shoulder and nuzzle against her jaw. “It _is_ the six month anniversary of our first date tomorrow. So it’d be nice to mark it with chips, at least.” 

“I’ll put away the potatoes and you can call in for food, and we’ll do everything else just as you’ve planned. Yeah?” Harry slid her hands over Louis’ sides as she spoke, just firm enough not to tickle. It was terribly distracting. “Baaaabe?” 

“Yes my love, whatever you say,” Louis said, pressing closer in spite of Harry’s giggles. 

“I don’t know why Marlene is making my allergies so bad when s’obvious that you’re a cat as well and I’ve never had a single problem,” she said, resting her hands on Louis’ tummy. Louis just purred in response, nuzzling against Harry contentedly. They stood like that for a moment until Marlene jumped up on the counter and meowed at them, staring until Louis reached out her hand and let the cat rub its head against her knuckles. 

Harry gave Louis a final squeeze and then let her go. “So. Pizza? Nando’s? Mum’s got a drawer full of menus somewhere in here.” Louis moved to open a drawer as Harry bent down to check one of the lower cabinets for a container to store the potatoes. 

“Pizza’s good. You know what I like.” 

Louis nodded and grabbed her mobile to call in the order as she petted Marlene with her free hand. When the order was made and the potatoes put away and both Harry and Louis had washed up, she walked Harry into the den, covering Harry’s eyes with her hands so they could have a proper pillow fort reveal, Louis even yelling “ta-da!” loudly when she finally uncovered Harry’s eyes. 

“You do realize I’ve already walked past it a few times, right?” Harry turned back to look at Louis with a grin. “S’not much of a surprise.” 

“Stop bein’ a shit and tell me you love it, Haz,” Louis said, giving Harry a little swat on the bum. 

Harry yelped before dissolving into giggles. “Course I love it! We always talk about having a pillow fort but there are never enough pillows to do it right.” 

“Remember when you had the idea of using Niall’s pillows too and you dragged all yours out and had me bring mine over…” 

“And then I went in her room and she had _one_ pillow. ONE! Who only has a single pillow?” Harry shook her head at the memory while Louis reined in the urge to kiss her. They had a pillow fort to snog in, after all, and it was only a couple of feet away. 

“C’mon, get in,” Louis said, nodding toward the pillow fort. The structure was built using the couch for support, with stacks of cushions in front of each side and a single cushion standing upright in the center of the couch, buttressed by smaller throw pillows to keep it steady. Two sheets were draped over the structure to provide a roof and the surface of the couch had extra blankets on one side and a serving tray on the other to provide a flat surface for drinks. The area in front of the couch was a giant piled nest of pillows and blankets with a few stuffed toys thrown in for good measure, and in front of all of that was a bottle of wine and a slice of cake from the bakery near campus that Harry loved. 

Louis let Harry climb in first, and she quickly settled into the pillow nest, arranging them all until they suited her perfectly. When she was satisfied she pulled Louis down almost on top of her, grabbing her face with both hands and kissing her deeply. “I know you know I was only teasing before, but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I love this,” Harry said after they’d paused for a moment. “How much I love you. And all of this, really, I know I started out being upset but I really love that you wanted to make this weekend special.” 

“I’m trying,” Louis said with a shrug. “Mostly just want you to know I’d do anything for you. And wanna do everything with you. All the time.” Louis moved to straddle Harry, butterflies rising in her belly as she fiddled with the knot of Harry’s dressing gown with one hand and slid the other up to grip the curls at the base of her hair. Harry’s answering gasp only spurred Louis on, and she leaned into their kiss, warm and needy. 

Harry wrapped one arm around Louis to keep her close as they kissed, slapping at Louis’ hand so that she could untie her dressing gown without breaking away. Louis didn’t mind, of course. She took the opportunity to slide her now free hand under the the silky fabric, brushing over Harry’s shoulder and down to her tits, relishing the feel of them under fingers. 

When Harry finally got the dressing gown open she pulled back from Louis, flopping against a pillow as she shook her head and swore and said, “finally!” before slipping it off her shoulders and tugging at the bottom of Louis’ shirt to take it off over her head. Louis laughed, lifting her arms and letting Harry struggle to get her out of the shirt, shimmying a bit to loosen it as it stuck to her sports bra. Harry scratched over it futilely, her fingers catching on the top of it and snapping it quietly as she moved her nails over Louis’ chest. “Baaabe. Off,” she whined, scrunching her face as Louis giggled back at her. 

“Thought we might have a serious talk in here or summat, but no, little Harry wants half naked snogging and a shag on me mum’s pillows.” Louis pulled her bra off and tipped forward, one hand on either side of Harry caging her in. “S’only fair, I guess,” she said, leaning in to nip at Harry’s earlobe and down her neck. “That you should have whatever you want from me.” 

The needy sound that Harry made in response was covered by the ringing of the doorbell followed by a loud knock, and Harry whipped her head toward the noise instinctively, bumping against Louis, who’d stopped kissing Harry at the intrusion. 

“Fuck! Ow,” Louis said, rubbing at the spot on her cheek where Harry’s chin had struck her. “You ok, love?” 

“Yeah, but who’s--”

“Fucking pizza!” Louis huffed as she jumped up, rushing to the door only to be stopped by Harry yelling and throwing her shirt at her. She pulled it on and opened the door just as the delivery boy was raising his hand to knock again. 

“That’ll be-- ah, shit Louehhhh! How are ya, mate? Haven’t seen you since the last footie dinner. You off at school now? Visiting family?” The pizza boy was none other than Stephen Smythe, one of Louis’ least favorite teammates from the club she’d played with while she lived here. He was nice enough, thankfully, not particularly homophobic or mean, but he could carry on a one-sided conversation for an epic amount of time. She’d clocked him once, maybe at that last footie dinner, and he’d spoken with Oli, another teammate, for fourteen minutes without Oli ever giving more than a half-hearted shrug in response. 

“Hey, Stephen, yeah. I’m at school, just home to see family. They’ll all be waiting for the pizza, so I should just pay you, and--” 

“C’mon, you’ve a minute to chat at least. How’s your mum? Your dad? Not many pizzas since you left, yeah? I guess I wouldn’t know since I only got this job a couple of months back. It’s dead easy, though. You wouldn’t believe--” Stephen kept talking and Louis began to zone out, nodding in response automatically. She realized her shirt was on backwards and inside out, the tag sticking out in front of her neck, and turned to look back toward the den, where she saw Harry watching her with alarmed curiosity. Harry spread her hands and shrugged her shoulders, nodding toward the door, as Louis turned her attention back to Stephen. 

“So anyway, that was when I told them I’d only go to that house if there was no pepperoni involved, eh?” He laughed and sighed, shaking his head at how funny his own story was. “Don’t have to worry about that here, though. You’ve got a pussy.” 

“Got a what?” Louis said, standing a bit straighter and puffing out her chest a bit. She blinked at him quickly, in utter disbelief that he would’ve said something so rude. Harry had walked closer, holding her dressing gown closed tightly as she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, her worry and concern evident. 

“Oh, the cat, the cat that just got out. Sorry, me dad still calls them that and I forget that it’s got the rude meaning as well,” Stephen said. He looked down sheepishly and suddenly Louis took in exactly what he’d said. 

“Shit! The cat got out? She’s not meant to go outside! I, um, here,” Louis reached in her pocket and shoved the cash she had at Stephen, taking the pizza from his hand and setting it precariously on the table close to the door before shoving past him and into the yard, calling out the cat’s name and hoping it would listen. Stephen hung back, counting the money and pocketing it before coming out to help Louis look for the cat, clicking his tongue as he searched in the bushes. 

It was nearly half an hour before Louis found Marlene sitting outside the neighbor’s house, staring up at their front window where a fat grey cat was lying in a plush bed licking itself and making extreme eye contact right back at Marlene. Louis scooped her up, holding onto her tightly as she tried to scramble away. Stephen was still looking around, clucking hopefully, when Louis came back into the yard with the cat. “You really didn’t have to stay, Stephen. But I did find her. Thanks.” 

“It’s no bother, not a busy night really. Just glad I said something about her getting out, or else who knows how long she’d have been off?” He smiled at Louis and then leaned toward her a bit, squinting as he looked at her chest. “Is your shirt done round the wrong way?” Louis looked down and saw Marlene pawing at her tag. 

“Yeah, s’part of a, um, initiation thing at school. Gotta wear everything wrong. They make us take selfies to prove we’re doing it on weekends.” 

Stephen nodded. “Glad I didn’t go to uni, I suppose,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway, tell your mum and dad hullo from me and let’s grab a pint next time you’re in town, yeah?” 

“Course, yeah,” Louis said, turning toward the door. “Drive safe.” She waved with her free hand, waiting until Stephen had gotten into the car to turn back around and go inside, sighing with relief that he was finally gone and the whole ordeal was over. She held Marlene up and looked her in the eyes, shaking her head. “And you, bad cat, no going outside to flirt with the neighbor’s cats. You’re meant to be inside only.” Marlene struggled a bit and Louis let her run off toward the kitchen. “Probably going to eat as though you’ve done nothing wrong,” she muttered. 

“I’m in the kitchen,” Harry called. Louis came in and saw that Harry was dressed-- half-dressed, anyway --in a pair of pyjama bottoms and one of Louis’ shirts, a couple of pizza crusts half-eaten in front of her and their bottle of wine about halfway gone. “Had to eat, sorry,” she said, shrugging as she bit into one of her crusts. “Kept the rest warm for you, though.” 

Louis kissed her hair and got out a plate, pulling a couple of slices out of the cooker and sitting down next to Harry. “Sorry I had to run off. Fucking Marlene decided to run out while Stephen was nattering away and it took ages to find her.” 

“Yeah, um, ‘bout that. Why’d you not tell him I was here? Like, why’d you say you were visiting your parents? I mean, I know I wasn’t really dressed to meet anyone, but if you’d said I was around I could’ve come out and helped look, or like, done something. ‘Stead of sitting in here hoping you’d find the cat and not entirely sure that guy wasn’t a secret axe murderer.” 

“Stephen Smythe an axe murderer?” Louis slapped a hand over her mouth as she burst out laughing. “Sorry, babe, s’just I’m imagining the only way that’d be possible is if he was boring axes to death with the worst conversation a human’s capable of.” 

Harry looked back, confused. 

“We played footie together, and he was always the worst one to get stuck next to. Would carry on a conversation with you whether you liked it or not. I didn’t mention you because I was so used to zoning out when he’d talk, s’like if you want to survive you just let him go on till you find a good way to get out.” 

“So you weren’t embarrassed?” 

“By you?” Louis nudged Harry’s knee with her own. “Not possible, love. You’re the least embarrassing thing about me.” 

Harry laid her head on Louis’ shoulder and groaned quietly. “I’m a right idiot this weekend, Lou. I was really in here convincing myself that you were ashamed of me.” She rolled her head so that her voice was muffled against Louis’ arm. “I’m so stupid.” 

Louis rested her head atop Harry’s and sighed. “You’re really not, babe. I’ve been thinking of this as a little holiday away from uni for the two of us, and you came in thinking you were going to meet my parents and see the town I grew up in, maybe go get a pint with some of my friends that still live here. Then I completely changed everything for you and expected you to be thrilled with it. If anyone’s an idiot, ‘s me.” 

“Maybe we’re both idiots, and the best thing would be to finish our pizza and get in the bed for the night?” Harry laid her hand over Louis’ and squeezed it gently. “Did get interrupted a bit, didn’t we?” 

“A bit, yeah, I’d say. Did you notice I put my shirt on backwards _and_ inside out? Stephen noticed and I made up the worst lie about it being hazing for the footie team.”

“He believed you?” Louis nodded, and Harry giggled beside her. “Think he might be the idiot, then, even if he was a little observant.” 

Louis bit into her last slice of pizza and gave Harry a nudge. “Maybe if you put the leftovers away I can get a little surprise together for us upstairs, hm?” Harry laid her head on the table and looked at Louis with a little smile on her face. She bit her lower lip and batted her eyelashes slowly as Louis watched her with a smirk on her face. 

“What sort of surprise?” Harry asked, her voice turning honey-sweet at the edges. She was being adorably coquettish and it made Louis want to wrap her arms around her and never let go. 

“A good one. I’m taking this upstairs,” Louis said, standing up decisively. “Give me, um. Five minutes.” 

“Okaaay,” Harry drawled, turning slowly in her chair and kicking her feet out. “Better go. You’ve probably wasted like twenty seconds staring at me.” 

Louis turned and bolted up the stairs, going into her parents’ bathroom and starting the water for a bath. She went to the cabinet where she’d hidden the special bath foam she’d bought and opened it up, sniffing at the open bottle and sighing as she imagined Harry getting into the tub and smelling the light vanilla and cardamom aroma of the soap. Hopefully she’d like it as much as Louis thought she would. 

With the bath filling quickly and a generous pour of bubble bath added to the tub, Louis set to work lighting some of the candles her mum kept around. It wasn’t as many as she’d hoped (maybe dating Harry had changed her idea about how many candles constituted ‘enough’ in a single room), but with the lights out it was still enough to give the room a warm orange glow. She peeked her head out in time to see Harry ascending the stairs, Marlene at her heels. 

“I’m in here. C’mon in, love.” Louis opened the door and let Harry in, putting her foot in front of Marlene and shaking her head with a little “sorry, cat,” muttered as she carefully closed the door behind her. “Mum’s tub is her favorite thing, and it’s the best for baths. I’ve never had one with two people, but I think it’s big enough.” 

Harry sat on the edge of the tub, trailing her hand through the bubbles and grinning at Louis sheepishly. “It’s really nice, baby. You know I love baths, and I never get to take them anymore. It’s all showers in the halls.”

“What’re you waiting for, then? Get in, yeah?” Louis pulled her shirt off over her head and stepped out of her trackies, kicking them off into the corner of the bathroom. She hooked her thumbs into her briefs and pulled them down a bit slowly, shaking her hips and sneaking glances at Harry as she did. Harry hadn’t moved from the tub and was openly watching Louis undress, biting her lip and rubbing at a hole in the knee of her pajama bottoms with the edge of her thumb. 

“You’re so fit, Lou, Christ,” Harry said as Louis moved closer. She reached out and touched Louis’ hip with one of her soapy fingers, leaving a soft trail of bubbles across her tummy and in the top of her pubic hair. “It’s not like I forget it but every time I see you it’s just--” Harry trailed off as Louis stepped close enough that Harry could rest her head against Louis’ tummy. She bit a line of kisses just above where she’d left a trail of soap and Louis sighed, resting her hand atop Harry’s messy bun. 

“I absolutely need you to be naked now, Haz, really,” Louis said as she moved her hand lower and tugged lightly on Harry’s curls. “This is the longest you’ve ever gone without getting naked when the opportunity presented itself, and it might actually be a crime.” Harry giggled, biting Louis’ hip, and stood up, tearing her shirt off and tossing it away in a single smooth motion that always made Louis stare in wonder, it was so fast and easy. She stepped into Louis’ space, her nipples barely brushing against Louis’ chest as she moved Louis’ hands to her hips. 

“Take these off me?” she said, part question and part command, and Louis bit back a smile at Harry’s tone as she slowly obeyed, sliding first one hand and then the other beneath the waistband of the pyjamas, along the fleshy curve of Harry’s hips, and over the silky skin of her bum, giving her bum cheeks a few small slaps in the process. 

“No knickers. Naughty, Harry,” Louis said as she manipulated the elastic of the waistband down over Harry’s hips, her breath catching in her throat at the achingly slow reveal of Harry’s bare skin. She lowered herself slowly till she was kneeling in front of Harry, guiding the bottoms down as she smoothed her hands reverently over Harry’s legs. Harry had stopped shaving her legs a few months back, worrying that not having leg hair made her too girly looking, but she’d clearly gone back to shaving them for this weekend, her legs smooth and moisturized other than a cut just behind her knee. Louis rubbed her face over Harry’s leg and looked up at her. “You’re so soft,” she said, her voice gone low and husky. 

Above her, Harry blushed and looked away for a moment before turning her head back to lock eyes with Louis. “Just felt like it,” she said, shifting forward so that her leg bumped against Louis’ cheek again. Louis nuzzled into it and kissed her way up Harry’s thigh, waiting as Harry took her time in parting her legs to let Louis move inward, up the tender skin of her inner thighs and into the edges of her bush. 

Louis laid soft kisses up her cunt, over her mound and then nosed in between her labia, sucking a tender kiss to Harry’s clit that made her inhale sharply, as if what Louis was doing to her had caught her by surprise. It made Louis want to dive in, but she held back, taking her time as she always did, flattening her tongue and sliding over the slickness of Harry’s labia and up against her clit, trying to drown herself in nothing but Harry. She pushed up with her mouth until Harry’s hood pulled back, exposing her clit so that Harry ground down into her, filling her senses completely. As Louis started to suck her, tongue moving over her in gentle waves, Harry fisted a hand in Louis’ cropped hair, the sting of the pull making Louis moan into her so that Harry rocked her hips forward, fucking deeper into Louis’ mouth. 

“Fuck, baby,” Harry whined, her neediness making Louis want her impossibly closer. She moved her hands up to cup Harry’s bum, squeezing and kneading until she felt Harry start to give beneath her. She leaned back and took a breath, guiding Harry down to sit on the edge of the tub, legs spread wide and arms braced, one against the tub and the other on Louis’ shoulder, before moving back in to gather up Harry’s wetness with her tongue. “Nnn, suck me again Lou, please, need your m--” 

Louis didn’t let her finish, pulling Harry close to her face and moving her mouth back to Harry’s clit, moaning and sucking around it, totally overcome with her need to draw more from Harry. She felt Harry’s legs tensing and moving, then wrapping around her, her heels digging in at the small of Louis’ back as her thighs squeezed at the sides of Louis’ head so that all she could hear was the soft thudding of the blood rushing through Harry’s femoral artery and the faint sound of Harry gasping for air as though she was about to come. 

When she did, Louis knew it by the pulsing heat of Harry’s cunt and the way she curled her whole body into Louis’, folding into her needily. Harry’s legs held Louis close so that she could only rock slightly, mouth going slack as she tongued over Harry’s cunt to let the taste and smell overwhelm her senses. There was nothing that compared and no place Louis would rather be. 

As Louis pulled back slightly she slid her hand through Harry’s come, coating her fingers in its slickness and leaning back, nudging at Harry until their eyes met before licking them off one by one. 

“Fuuuck, so hot when you do that, Jesus baby,” Harry drawled, leaning into a long, languid kiss with Louis. It felt as though she was trying to pull her own taste from Louis’ mouth, and the thought made her moan until she felt Harry’s grip on her tighten as her arousal swelled again. 

“Love it when you kiss yourself out of my mouth,” Louis breathed, touching the tip of her tongue to Harry’s lip before pulling her into another kiss. “Love you.” 

Harry stood, pulling Louis up with her. “Love you too. Can’t believe I managed to end up with the hottest girlfriend and she’s also kind and funny and amazing at sex.” She nuzzled into Louis’ neck. “You’re so perfect, baby.” 

Louis raised her head and smiled. “I drew you a perfect bath, too. Though it might be cold now.” Harry turned and dipped her hand in the water, waving it back and forth. 

“Might be? We could refill it while I, umm,” Harry let her fingers trail down Louis’ chest slowly, lower lip caught between her teeth as her eyes flicked down and then back up to Louis’ eyes questioningly. 

Louis nodded back. “I think there’s time for that,” she said, nipping at Harry’s lips and then pulling away from her to drain the tub. It had gone quite cold, and she thought it might be better if they didn’t try to refill it too soon. “Waste of water, but hopefully not too bad.” 

“It’s worth it, I think,” Harry said, sliding her arms around Louis from behind. “C’mon.” 

It took them awhile to get around to filling the tub and pouring the bubbles in, Louis letting Harry do the honors. Neither of them realized that the jets would turn the bubbles extra bubbly, though, and so they were rudely surprised when they flipped the switch a few minutes into their bath and found themselves being covered with bubbles only moments later. Louis rushed to turn it off, but the bubbles had covered the controls so that she actually increased the jets, which then made the foam grow even faster until it was spilling over the sides of the tub and floating up into the air wildly. 

By the time they’d switched everything off, the bathroom was a bit of a mess, fluffy little tufts of bubbly foam settling on the sinks and mirror, and bath water splashed around the tub. Most of the candles had been extinguished, and both Louis and Harry were warm, wet, giggly messes. They agreed it was funny, at least, and were able to settle down and enjoy the water, making foam beards for one another and Louis fashioning a bubble bikini top over Harry’s tits as she stretched her legs as far as she could, feet crossed over so she could pretend to be a proper mermaid. 

Louis opened the door when they were finally drying off and Marlene came running in, obviously curious about what they’d been doing locked away from her for so long. She jumped up on the edge of the tub and meowed, looking at the bubbles that were draining and then back at Louis, then slowly stretched out her paw to swipe at a bit of foam. Louis looked away for a moment and then heard a splash followed by the sound of Marlene scrambling to get out of the small amount of water that was still in the tub. When she finally succeed she shot out of the bathroom quickly, stabbing Louis’ foot with her claw in the process and leaving a trail of soapy water from the bathroom and down the stairs, Louis cursing quietly behind her. 

As Louis and Harry cuddled together in bed, Louis kissed Harry’s shoulder softly. “Hope tonight ended better than it began,” she whispered. “And that tomorrow’s as good as it can get.” 

Harry grabbed her hand and held it against her chest. “Tonight was great, and tomorrow will be fantastic. Love you, baby.” She turned her head till she was able to just barely meet Louis’ lips and give her a peck, then put her head back against the pillow and fell asleep. Louis listened as Harry’s quiet breathing turned into gentle snoring, the sound soothing her to sleep. 

When Louis awoke the next morning, she found herself alone in the bed, Harry’s side a rumpled mess that was still warm. She checked her mobile and found a text from Harry that was sent about fifteen minutes earlier. It read very simply, “up before you and making breakfast. Stay in bed!” followed by several kissy face emojis. Louis smiled to herself, throwing the blankets over her head and curling up to try to fall back asleep for even a moment. 

She gave it up as hopeless about 10 minutes later, grabbing her mobile and texting Harry to say that she was awake and wanted to come down. After a few more minutes, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She sat up in bed, smoothing out the sheets on Harry’s side and staring at the door, waiting for Harry to walk in. 

“Happy six months, baby,” Harry said as she pushed the door open. She was balancing a tray with one arm, and Louis immediately wanted to jump up and help her with it, maybe take it away altogether, but she could see the concentration on Harry’s face and decided to leave it alone. Fortunately Harry made it the few steps to the bed without incident, setting the tray on Louis’ bedside table before pouncing on top of her in the bed, Louis letting out a loud “oof” when Harry landed on her. 

“Can’t believe you made breakfast already, love.” Louis turned her head, looking at what Harry had put on the tray. In addition to a pot of tea and the accompanying cups and milk, she’d also piled a plate high with chips and bacon and eggs and filled a small bowl with orange slices with a little pansy flower from the back garden stuck right in alongside them. It was unbelievably cute.

“What do you think?” Harry asked, watching Louis’ face. “Try a chip.” Louis grabbed one and shoved it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. 

“It’s perfect, of course. Not sure how you saved those potatoes after I nearly ruined them last night.” Louis grabbed another chip and held it up to Harry’s lips, watching her open her mouth and take it tongue first as Louis tried to hold back a giggle. When Harry had swallowed the chip, Louis pressed her salty thumb to Harry’s lips and let Harry lick the bits of salt off, both of them grinning stupidly at one another. “Hot,” Louis whispered, leaning in toward Harry as she took her thumb away and replaced it with her lips. 

The rest of their breakfast looked pretty much the same. Harry climbed off of Louis and got under the duvet next to her, but most of their shared bites were punctuated with kisses and touches and unchecked affection. It took them over an hour to finish the food, their tea gone cold and Marlene yowling outside their door, probably ready to be fed again herself. 

“What were you thinking for today?” Harry asked as she rested her head on Louis’ chest. “I’d feel alright with anything.” 

“Was thinking I’d show you around a bit? Take you to some of my favorite spots and some places I think you’ll like. And then I’ve something special planned for later. A total secret.” Louis nosed into Harry’s curls, the faint scent of vanilla and cardamom from their bath together still lingering there. “You stay here for a bit though. I’ll wash the dishes and take care of Marlene. You’ve still got the medicine you need for your allergies?” 

Harry nodded. “Fully drugged up and impervious to cat dander,” she said, lying back against the pillows and rubbing her tummy happily. “I’ll wait for you so we can shower together?” 

“Yes please,” Louis said, gathering the dishes onto the tray and balancing it carefully as she tried to open the door without letting Marlene in. “Be back up soon.” She did everything she needed to in what she thought was record time, eager to get back to Harry and head into town. She’d need to check the petrol in the car to make sure they’d be able to get to their final destination later, but she expected it’d be fine. They were going to have the best day possible. She was certain. 

It really was a fantastic day for the most part. Louis texted some of her friends about meeting up at their favorite pub for lunch later, and then spent the rest of the morning (after a long, very indulgent shower together with Harry) taking Harry to the best book shop in town (their gay section was where Louis first realized she was a lesbian), the cafe where she’d pined after her first real crush (a much older barista named Laney who never paid any attention to her), and a consignment shop that Harry requested to check out thanks to the massive display of scarves in the front window (where Harry found two scarves for the price of one, which was apparently a great deal). 

At lunch, two of Louis’ friends were able to join their table, and it was clear that they loved Harry, even laughing at one of her puns. When Harry left to use the loo, Louis raised her eyebrows at them, waiting for them to tell her what they thought. They didn’t speak for a moment, just staring back at Louis blankly until she finally asked what they’d thought of Harry. 

“Oh, she’s brilliant,” Kiran effused. “Like I’m not sure how she’s ended up with a wanker like you.” She punched Louis in the arm playfully. “Seriously, she’s great, Lou.” 

“Yeah, ‘course we like her,” Matt said, taking a sip of his pint. “It’s obvious the two of you are mad for each other. Pretty cool, if you think about how many awful dates you had when you lived here.” 

Louis raised an eyebrow at that. “Hardly had any dates when I lived here, mate.” 

“Yeah, couldn’t pull to save your life and now here you are!” Matt broke out into a wide grin, he and Kiran laughing at his ribbing Louis. 

“What’d I miss?” Harry asked as she came back from the loo to Matt and Kiran still giggling and Louis shaking her head and rolling her eyes at them. 

“Oh, just these two idiots talking about how shit my dates have always been, apparently. Or me, I suppose. Ha-bloody-ha.” 

Harry’s smile withered as she looked between Matt and Kiran and Louis. She cleared her throat quietly and pushed the remains of her food around her plate a bit. “Right,” she said, not looking up. “Suppose they’ve seen it all.” 

Louis reached out and put a hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze until Harry looked up at her. It was as though she’d crumpled up immediately. “Alright?” Louis mouthed at her. Harry shook her head almost imperceptibly and glanced toward Matt and Kiran and then back down. Louis stared at her for a moment and then looked back at her friends herself, trying to understand what had happened. When it struck her she gave Harry another squeeze. 

“Oh, they were just, um, they were ribbing me, Haz. Not you. Think they said something along the lines of ‘how’d a loser like you land someone as cool as Harry.’ Summat like that.” 

Matt and Kiran agreed immediately, and Louis saw the tension leave Harry’s face as they spoke. “God it was so strange, you’d both been so lovely and then I thought you’d immediately started shit talking me as soon as I’d walked off.” 

“We’ve gotta know you for a few years for that, right Kir?” Matt elbowed Kiran and she nodded, draining the last of her beer. 

Once they’d paid their tab and said their goodbyes, Louis swept Harry off in the car to drive around town, just showing her places from her childhood. They drove past her primary school and the place where she’d had her first kiss, the footie pitch where she’d played most of her matches and the spot where she’d punched a boy in the face for calling her a dyke just after she’d come out at school. 

By the time they were finished, the daylight was fading. They stopped at Tesco, Louis making Harry wait in the car while she ran in and got everything she wanted for their picnic later. It didn’t take her long-- she’d been planning it all out for a while --and she tucked the bag into the boot before Harry could see what was inside. 

They parked outside the house, Louis turning to Harry as she switched the car off and grinning mischievously. “OK, so we’re going in to get a few more layers, and then we’re off for one last surprise destination. Are you with me?” 

Harry leaned toward Louis and kissed her, her lips warm and insistent against Louis’. “Yes. Always,” she said, taking off her seatbelt and moving to get out of the car. “Even when it’s a weird secret that involves a ten minute trip to Tesco where I have to sit in the car playing candy crush instead of going inside with you.” 

“Gonna be worth it,” Louis singsonged. “Just wait.” 

It wasn’t long before they were back in the car, a couple of extra layers thrown into the backseat and Louis starting the engine to get them on their way. She almost took a couple of wrong turns, the route to the spot she was headed to not as solid in her mind as it had been when she was still living at home, but after driving for awhile they finally reached the bumpy dirt road that led to a stand of trees and a few mossy stumps not far from an old, crumbling cemetery. 

As Louis pulled the car to a stop she turned to look at Harry with a wide smile on her face. “I know it looks weird, but this place just--” Louis bit her lip, trying to find a way to gather her thoughts into something that wouldn’t sound completely mad. “It meant a lot to me, I guess. My gran and grandad used to live not far from here, and they’d bring me out here for picnics when I’d stay with them. Grandad carried the basket with everything Gran made for us to eat, and we’d sit on the stumps and have a proper picnic with a thermos of tea for us to share.” 

Harry was staring back at Louis, her eyes shining as she smiled fondly, nodding her head. “That’s lovely, baby. You came here a lot?” 

“Only once or twice after they passed away.” Harry reached out and put her hand over Louis’, giving it a squeeze. “But when we’d come they’d always look at each other with so much love, and sometimes I wondered if I’d find someone to share picnics with who’d look at me the way they did one another. And I thought that, well, you’re the first person I could ever imagine bringing here.” 

Without warning, Harry surged forward, her nose bumping against Louis’ as she kissed her, hungry and warm, reaching to caress Louis’ cheek with one hand as she braced herself with the other. The kiss wasn’t as precise or perfect as many of the kisses they shared, but the shock of it sent a flutter through Louis anyway, and she found herself nearly climbing across the front seat just to get closer to Harry’s mouth. 

“That was so romantic,” Harry said after they’d finally pulled apart. “Like the most beautiful, romantic thing that you could say, maybe?” 

Louis brushed her lips over Harry’s neck, whispering in her ear, “always wanna be romantic with you, love.” Harry tipped her head toward Louis’, smiling so hard that Louis felt as though she could crash land into the crater of Harry’s dimple. 

“Did you really make us a picnic?” 

“It’s, well, it’s not as nice as what Gran used to make. ‘M not a cook like she was. But I got a few things for us, and I did fill a thermos with hot water at home so we could make tea. I didn’t want it to steep too long and get bitter.” 

“It’s gonna be perfect, Lou.” Harry nodded her head toward the copse. “Can we? I’ll get the blankets.” 

Louis could only grin in response, happy that her gesture had gone over so well. She’d been a bit worried that Harry would find the drive or the trees or the cemetery too creepy or remote, but in retrospect she wasn’t sure why. What mattered to Harry was the story, the significance, the meaning that things held. She liked places and things that were special to people she cared about, and she cared about Louis. No, she _loved_ Louis. Nothing could feel any better than that. 

Louis grabbed candles-- the sun was already so low in the sky that the light in the clearing was a dim orange-tinted purple --and the picnic supplies and joined Harry by the trees. She’d already spread a blanket on the ground and had two more by the stumps that were closest to each other. Louis pulled out the picnic supplies one by one: a wedge of brie and a small jar of apricot jam, some olives, and a loaf of bread that was long and thin and looked like something she’d see in a french movie. She also had two tiny creme brulees that she’d picked up while they were out, and she had visions of Harry cracking it just like Amelie and making a silly joke about their first date. 

“This is perfect,” Harry said, standing behind Louis with one of the candles in her hand and looking down at the spread on the blanket. 

“I’ve been planning it for a while,” Louis said sheepishly. “Hoped it would be.” 

They sat on the stumps at first, sharing nibbles of food with one another and passing the thermos of tea that Louis had just brewed between the two of them, giggling when their knees bumped together or they reached for the same olive simultaneously. 

“Feels like a second first date,” Harry said. “Like, I’m nervous a bit?” She looked at the ground for a moment, biting her lip. “Not the same kind of nervous, though. It’s like I’m comfortable, but everything feels big. Important? Dunno how to say it.” 

“Yeah,” Louis nodded. “Can’t explain it, but I know what you mean.” She slid her hand over Harry’s knee, drawing a heart with the tip of her finger. 

“D’you wanna lie down, maybe? Look at the stars?” 

Louis looked up toward the sky, noticing for the first time that the moon wasn’t too bright and that the stars were decently visible. She nodded, taking the blanket off her shoulders and spreading it on the ground just past the edge of their picnic blanket so they could lie down easily. Harry’s feet stretched past the end and onto the grass, but she didn’t seem to mind, throwing her blanket over their bodies and snuggling in close to Louis’ side, her head in the crook of Louis’ arm. 

“D’you know anything about the stars, Haz? Like constellations and that?” Louis stared up as she spoke, trying to make a connection between all the tiny points of light above them. 

“Not really. I mean, that’s the big dipper there, yeah? And I can usually find, um, Cassiopeia? Right there,” she pointed to the right. “That’s about it though. Oh, and I know that a meteor is what we see in the sky, but the meteoroid is the actual debris. And the meteorite is what makes it through the atmosphere. But I only learned that from a Joanna Newsom song.” 

Louis swallowed a giggle next to her. “You’re weird sometimes, and I love it,” she said, still staring at the spot in the sky where Harry had pointed. “Now Cassiopeia. Which is it?” 

They laid like that for a while, sometimes hearing a car pass on the main road, but mostly just watching the sky for shooting stars and talking about whatever came to mind-- stars, music, tales from their childhood, their hopes and plans for the summer --nothing was off limits, really. 

“Have you thought about next year?” Louis asked after they’d both been quiet for a moment. She felt Harry shift to look at her. “About where you’re living, I mean.” 

“Oh. I hadn’t, much. Have you?” 

“I hadn’t,” Louis said, eyes still set on the sky overhead. “But before I left I was talking with Zayn, and I kind of started thinking about the two of us. Living together, maybe?” 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Harry said, moving just a bit closer to Louis. “Very much.” 

“Yeah?” Louis shifted to look at Harry. It was almost too dark to make out her face, but the candles still gave off enough light that she could see her beaming. 

“Yeah,” Harry nodded enthusiastically. “God, come kiss me Lou, I’m so bloody excited I can hardly contain myself.” 

Louis wiggled out from Harry’s embrace, propping herself up on her arm and leaning in to snog Harry, though they were both a bit too giddy to do more than smile through soft, open kisses. 

“Do you want to go back home? Maybe to bed?” Louis asked, her hand trailing down Harry’s side. 

Harry nodded, pulling Louis forward for one more kiss, this one less gentle and more intense than the others. “I want to go back and fuck you so good, baby. Wanna make you come and shout my name and tell me you love me til you’re hoarse from it if I can.” 

“I’m pretty sure you can,” Louis said, desire knotting in her belly. Even hearing Harry say things like that made Louis want to just straddle her and ride her thigh till she came, faster than either of them would like and not nearly hard enough, but getting off just the same. “I know it’s worth waiting for.” It was. Would have to be. 

They tossed their picnic items into the bag haphazardly, Louis blowing out the candles a moment too early and cursing when she realized just how dark it was before she stumbled toward the car and turned the headlamps on, illuminating the spot where they’d been laying as Harry gathered up the last blanket and tossed it into the boot of the car. Once they were both in, Louis turned the key and heard a clicking noise instead of the familiar sound of the engine starting. She tried a second time and then a third, the steady clicking filling her with a rising panic. 

It was then that she remembered her mum’s warning about the car-- it had been acting up and Louis shouldn’t drive it too much or too far --and realized that she’d done just what she wasn’t supposed to. She whispered a quiet “fuck” under her breath, aware that Harry was watching her but not wanting to meet her eyes. 

“Babe, ‘s the car okay?” 

When Louis finally looked up, she saw the concern in Harry’s face and immediately felt worse for putting them in this situation. “I wasn’t really thinking about it, but mum mentioned in her note that the car wasn’t quite right and that it might be best not to drive it too much.” Louis worried at her lip, trying to come up with a solution that didn’t involve calling her mum and admitting that she’d not only lied, but had now possibly fucked the car up completely. 

“I think you should call your parents,” Harry said, reaching out to brush Louis’ fringe from her eyes. “It’s not going to be fun, but at least they might know who we could reach here that could help us get back home. It’s not like we can sleep here or anything.” 

At that, Louis glanced out the window hopefully, wondering if it would really be so bad to sleep among the trees. Near a field. Across from a crumbling cemetery. Yeah, no. She pulled out her mobile with a tiny whine. “She’s going to end me.” 

“Hello, boo! Dad and I were just getting ready for bed. There’s nothing the matter, is there?” Louis’ mum sounded sleepy but cheerful, probably expecting a call asking about where to find a hidden tea stash instead of anything serious. 

“I’ve run into a bit of trouble with the car,” Louis said, exhaling deeply as she waited for her mum to be upset. 

“Oh, that’s awful, love. I’m so sorry. You’re not too far out, are you? Or-- oh! You’re not alone, are you? Should I call one of the neighbors to come pick you up?” Louis could hear her dad saying something in the background as her mum shuffled the mobile around before saying, “I’ve put you on speaker so dad can hear as well.” 

“I’m actually a bit far out of town. You know the place near Gran and Grandad’s? The one with the trees? I brought my, um,” her eyes darted over to Harry who was avoiding her gaze, staring out the window at the dark sky. “My girlfriend. Harry. She’s with me.” Harry dropped her head as a smile broke out over her face, her dimple out in full force. Louis felt a little flutter of joy in her chest in spite of their current situation. 

The offended scoff from Louis’ mum spoke volumes. “Harry? You brought Harry when I’ve not even met her yet? You know I’ve asked you about bringing her ‘round before and you’ve always come up with some excuse not to do it.” She sighed, and Louis imagined her shaking her head as she pinched at the bridge of her nose. ”And let’s not forget you lied to us about the whole weekend as well. Honestly.” She whispered something to Louis’ dad before continuing. “But there’s not much to do about it now. We’ll be back soon enough, of course, so the car’s no worry tonight.” 

“I’ve texted Andrew, remember him? Had the boy your age? Smythe? He works not far from where you are and should get off soon. He’ll pick you girls up.” Louis’ dad sounded completely calm, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief that he was approaching this problem with his typical unflappable style instead of getting angry with her. 

“Thanks Dad. And Mum. I’m sorry I lied. And we can definitely talk about it when you’re back from holiday.” 

“Oh, we certainly will. I expect better than this from you and you know it.” Louis could imagine her mum’s face going a bit red as she spoke, anger coloring her tone. 

“I know. I’m really sorry.” Louis hoped her parents could hear that she meant what she was saying, though she knew it wouldn’t really change things even if they did. She’d still made a lot of mistakes this weekend and almost nothing had gone to plan. 

“We know, love,” Louis’ mum replied, voice softening a bit. “Text us when Mr. Smythe picks you up, and tell Harry we look forward to meeting her.” 

“I will, promise,” Louis said. “Love you both.” Her parents responded back with their own ‘I love yous’ before ringing off, and Louis set her mobile down before turning to Harry. 

“We’re getting picked up, not sure if you heard. It’ll be-- shit.” Louis groaned. “Andrew Smythe is Stephen’s dad, and probably the only person I’ve ever met who’s more annoying than Stephen. So that should be a fun ride.” 

“At least it’s a ride, though? And, um. Thank you for telling your parents about me. I wasn’t sure you were going to, but I hoped…” Harry bit her lip as she trailed off, and Louis felt the sudden need to have her much closer, to wrap her up in a hug and cuddle her into oblivion for the rest of the night. 

“I should’ve done from the start, Haz. Mum’s proper pissed off that she’s not getting to meet you after I’ve talked about you to her so much.” 

“What sort of things ‘ve you said?” Harry asked, ducking her head. 

Louis unbuckled her seat belt and climbed over the console as she spoke. “Told her you’re gorgeous and funny and kind and supportive. That you’re smart and speak better French than me.” 

“Oui c'est vrai,” Harry said, making room so Louis could climb into her lap. 

“Course it’s true. Anyway I’ve told her every good thing about you. Well, I left out the sex stuff. Didn’t think you’d want me mum to know that the sound you make when you’re coming might as well be a fucking angel choir as far as I’m concerned.” Louis bit at Harry’s ear, feeling the heat of her blush as she leaned in. 

“Anyway, I’ve been a complete tit this whole weekend. But I promise that in six more months I will do a much better job of planning something, and you won’t regret putting up with me.” 

Harry poked her in the ribs. “As if I could regret a minute with you. If you think that you really are a tit.” 

Louis nuzzled into Harry’s neck, sucking a love bite onto the spot just below her ear just to hear Harry’s soft giggle at the first touch of Louis’ tongue and her sharper inhale when she felt Louis’ teeth and the hot pressure of her mouth. She was kissing down Harry’s neck and sliding her hand under Harry’s collar when the sound of a horn completely ripped her from the moment. 

“And. Of course that’s our ride,” Louis said, leaning back and giving Harry a peck before struggling to climb back into the driver’s seat. Mr. Smythe chose that moment to tap at Harry’s window, causing Louis to hit her head against her own window and Harry to scream wildly. 

“Sorry girls, sorry, didn’t want you to think I was the man with the hook or summat! C’mon back when you’re ready, yeah?” At that, he ambled back to his car, leaving Harry and Louis to look at each other and laugh. 

The drive back to Louis’ house was less awkward than she’d feared, Harry stepping in to keep the conversation going when Mr. Smythe began to monologue a bit. Louis squeezed her hand in silent thanks, amazed at the way Harry seemed to keep up an interested front in spite of how completely boring-- honestly, he put his son to shame --Mr. Smythe was. 

They got inside and pulled out their picnic leftovers, finishing them off as they stood at the kitchen counter and leaned against one another, not talking much at all. When they’d finished eating, Louis fed Marlene while Harry went upstairs to take another dose of what she was calling “miracle pills” that had kept her mostly free of the worst of her allergy symptoms all weekend. That was one thing that had gone right, at least, Louis thought as she turned off all the lights downstairs and started off to bed. Even if almost everything else had gone a bit shit. 

When she got upstairs, Louis found Harry brushing her teeth, her hair pulled up into a messy bun and nothing on but an oversized t-shirt. She wrapped her arms around Harry’s waist and kissed her shoulder. “Well hello, who’s this in my childhood bathroom wearing no knickers while she brushes her teeth?” 

“Yuh guhfen,” Harry said around her toothbrush, a goofy smile on her face as she looked at Louis in the mirror. 

“Right, right, absolutely. The one I’m going to live with, right? Who’s gorgeous and lovely and--” Louis was cut off by a kiss from Harry. She’d rinsed her mouth but it was still freshly minty, making her lips tingle a bit. 

“The very same,” Harry said as she pulled away. “Also the same one who really, really wants to get in the bed.” She gave Louis a peck on the cheek. “With you.” Another peck, this time on the other cheek. “Immediately.” She gave Louis a quick kiss on the lips and a sharp smack on her bum, laughing as she walked over to the bedroom, pulling the shirt off as she walked. 

Louis cleaned her teeth faster than usual, since it was obvious that Harry wasn’t ready for sleeping just yet. She opened the door to their room, butterflies going mad inside of her in that familiar way they did when she knew Harry wanted to fuck her. They’d gone so slowly for a long time, Harry tentative and wanting praise and encouragement with each subtle shift in what they were doing, and Louis had met her with it every chance she got. It had made their firsts that much more significant-- the first time she’d come under Harry’s tongue, the first time Harry had pushed inside of her and not backed off, wide-eyed and eager as Louis guided her through how she liked to be touched --and by now it was as though Louis was trained to see Harry fucking her as something special even if it happened several times a week. 

Harry was knelt on the bed, her hair down, naked and hungry-eyed and playing with her tits when Louis walked in. Louis felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs, and she choked on air as she rushed to pull her shirt over her head, ready to get out of her clothes and join Harry. 

“Slow down, baby. Wanna watch you,” Harry said, moving to her hands and knees and crawling toward Louis, her hair falling loose around her shoulders. “Might help you, even.” She unbuttoned Louis’ skinnies and pulled them down, her short nails dragging over the skin of Louis’ thighs with each slow tug. It was maddening. 

“Christ, baby, just want your hands all over me. Please,” Louis begged, working her sports bra off over her head and tossing it aside. “So ready for you, love.” She stepped out of her jeans as they pooled at her feet, then tilted forward to allow Harry to take off her knickers. Instead she felt Harry’s hand resting on her crotch, her fingers curled to take the shape of Louis’ mound. 

“How much do you want tonight?” Harry asked, looking up at Louis innocently. “Two fingers? Three?” Louis inhaled sharply, her belly twisting with desire as Harry pressed three fingers up into the wet cotton of her knickers. 

“More, baby. Always want more of you.” It wasn’t completely true. They both knew there were nights that she couldn’t have more than three of Harry’s fingers inside her, when they’d decided to be quick and a bit rough, Harry working her up fast and pushing against her walls as she tightened around them. That wasn’t tonight, though. 

“More?” Harry asked, curling a fourth finger against Louis and rubbing slowly over her cunt till she could feel the wetness of her knickers spreading. Louis forced herself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “Or all of me?” 

“Everything, please. Want you inside of me, baby.” It was a real, visceral ache in Louis’ belly, and she moved her own hand down over Harry’s wrist, holding it tight against her so she could rock against it slowly to convey her need. “Let me on the bed, Haz. Fuck me. Please, love?” 

“Take these off,” Harry said, pulling back from Louis and sitting back on the bed. “And come over here.” She started to put her hair up in a bun, and Louis cleared her throat, looking at her with pleading eyes. 

“Keep it down for a bit? For me?” 

“Why’s that?” she straddled Louis as soon as she positioned herself on the bed properly. 

“Like it when you’re over me and it’s wild. Fucking hot,” Louis said, her fingers tangled in Harry’s curls. The truth was that Harry’s curls loose during sex made the whole thing seem dangerous, like Harry was some green eyed wildling who was planning on eating Louis alive after having her way with her. It was heady. 

“You’re hot,” Harry said, leaning down to kiss Louis, her hair shading them from the lamp light. She giggled as she pulled back, grinding her cunt down against Louis’. “And I’m going to fuck you.” 

Louis couldn’t resist running her hands down Harry’s sides, her touch light enough to tickle at first before turning more insistent as she slid her palms over Harry’s tits, thumbing at her nipples. “Go on then, baby.” She bucked up into Harry gently. “Fuck me.” She wanted to tease Harry, to get her worked up until she couldn’t help but bury her face in Louis’ pussy and put her hands to use, but at the same time she didn’t want to wait. It left her feeling restless and wiggly. 

Harry moaned Louis’ name, her voice almost turning to a whine. “You’re distracting me you little shit,” she said, leaning in to kiss Louis and then slowly shuffling down between her legs. “Can’t fuck you if you’re trying to get me off.” 

“Wasn’t,” Louis said, spreading her legs to accommodate Harry better. “You’re just easy, love.” Harry shook her head and gave Louis’ thigh a smack as she bent to kiss her knee. Louis watched as Harry licked and bit her way down her inner thigh, her hair tickling the delicate skin there till she couldn’t help but squirm. Harry seemed unbothered, though; she was entirely focused on Louis’ cunt. 

When Harry began to touch her, Louis moaned, a raspy sound rising from deep in her belly completely unbidden. “Fuck yes, Haz, gorgeous,” she said, reaching down to stroke Harry’s hair and push gently at her head. Harry hummed against her, sliding her fingers into Louis as she sucked Louis’ clit. It was only the beginning, but Louis felt as though she could come from just a little more of this-- Harry’s mouth and probably not more than a couple of fingers. She was the easy one, really. 

Even as she had the thought, she noticed Harry adding another finger, the slight stretch of it making her rise up, grinding into Harry’s mouth and meeting her thrusts with a pleased groan. “Feels so good, love. Can’t believe your hands,” she breathed, tugging at Harry’s hair until she looked up, her eyes glazed over in a sex haze and a woozy smile on her lips. She leaned forward, bracing herself over Louis with one arm as she fucked into her with the other and Louis opened up to her kiss immediately, the taste of herself on Harry’s tongue utterly intoxicating. 

“Wanna try again tonight?” Harry asked, her hand now stroking inside of Louis as she leaned over her looking wild-eyed yet serious. Louis nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. 

“Yeah, yes, please, baby. Want you, want your whole hand inside of me.” Harry brushed the fingers of her free hand over Louis’ lips and Louis opened her mouth to suck them, watching Harry watch her intently. When Harry pulled her fingers away they went with a pop, Louis panting at the loss. “Fuck, so big Haz. Perfect.” Louis bit at Harry’s thumb when she rested it against Louis’ lips momentarily, gasping as Harry started thrusting into her again as she pulled it away. 

“I’ve only got three in now, babe,” she said, thumbing over Louis’ clit with too light pressure. It made Louis want to scream. “Sure you want more?” 

“Yes, fuck, ‘m so wet, need it,” she said. Harry sat back, staring down at Louis’ cunt with her full concentration, biting her lip as she pressed in with a fourth finger. Louis grunted at the increased pressure, dropping her legs so they spread open even wider. She could feel Harry working her slowly, carefully, not fucking into her quite as hard as before. 

It was almost too much, and she took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling with her eyes closed before she realized what she wanted. “Need your mouth too, love.”

Harry was back on her as soon as she’d said it, flattening her tongue over Louis’ clit until Louis felt herself relax. She threw her arm over her eyes, overstimulated and yet absolutely desperate, panting for more. When she was able to open her eyes again, she looked down, relishing the sight of Harry buried between her thighs. Of course Harry chose that moment to start stroking against Louis’ g-spot, effectively short-circuiting Louis’ brain completely so that she wasn’t able to do more than open her mouth and release a deep moan, lower and louder than even she was used to. Harry rose up, startled, and stilled her hand. 

“Still good?” she asked, breathless and as sex dazed as before. Her eyes flicked back down to Louis’ cunt and she licked her lips reflexively. 

“Yeah, more than. Keep going. Please.” 

Harry nodded, leaning forward carefully to reach just past Louis and pull something from the pillows. “Lube,” Harry explained as she settled back between Louis’ thighs. “I need to pull out just to, um,” 

“Do it, do it,” Louis said, bracing herself for the aching loss of Harry’s fingers. She heard the click of the cap and felt the sudden twinge of emptiness, and was grateful when Harry pushed back in so quickly afterwards, her hand sliding in so much more easily this time. She resumed whatever it was that she’d been doing before, and Louis felt the same guttural sounds falling from her mouth, unable to do anything about it. 

“You’re so good, Lou, fuck. So open for me.” 

“Want more, baby. Will you?” This was usually the point where one or the other of them said that it maybe felt like too much. Too risky or painful or impossible. It felt different tonight, though. She looked up at Harry, who rushed forward to kiss her before pulling away with a nod. 

Louis felt the cool wetness of more lube being drizzled over her as Harry leaned back again, eyes fixed on the spot where her hand was fucking into Louis and a look of complete concentration on her face. Louis could feel her pulling out a bit and then pressing in again, and she reached her hand down to rub at her own clit, not wanting Harry to lose focus. There was a moment where the stretch felt as if it would be too much, where she worried that Harry’s hand was too big and didn’t have enough give and that one or both of them would break because of this. 

And then that feeling shifted. She felt full, the stretch and slight burn replaced with a heaviness that made her think of sinking to the bottom of a pool and then somehow floating back up. She opened her mouth, but found she couldn’t say anything, too taken up in the pleasure of the moment. She heard Harry gasp and then felt her moving inside her. It was all Louis could do to shut her eyes and nod, trying to remember how to breathe. 

“Feel so good,” Harry whispered, “can’t believe it.” 

“Want you to move a bit. S’alright.” 

Harry pushed into her in small, tight motions, hardly anything compared to what she’d been doing earlier, and Louis reached up to grasp at her arm, gripping it hard enough to leave faint marks. “Can take more, babe, promise,” she said, holding on until she felt Harry start to truly move, her thrusts slowly shifting Louis up the bed. “Yes yes yes, fuck,” Louis ground out, rubbing against her clit as her orgasm built. 

“Wanna try something,” Harry said, waiting til Louis had given her a nod before she did whatever it was she wanted to do. Louis couldn’t tell exactly what it was; she only knew that it felt different, a twist and then a push of Harry’s hand against her spot, the same motion repeated a few times until she felt herself start to go over the edge, cursing and saying Harry’s name as Harry cried out sympathetically from between her thighs. 

She was still coming down when Harry said she needed to pull out. Louis winced at the stretch, her cunt still throbbing from her orgasm and from both the presence and loss of Harry’s hand. Harry moaned as she lifted her hand up, wet and sticky in the lamp light. She brought two fingers to her lips and sucked them down, Louis watching her as she closed her eyes at the taste. 

“M’covered in you,” Harry said after she’d pulled her fingers from her mouth. “Can you see?” She turned so that her inner arm was illuminated by the lamp light and licked at a shiny drop of moisture, chasing it with her tongue all the way up to the palm of her hand. 

Louis whined and pulled Harry on top of her, sucking her taste off Harry’s hand as she reached down to stroke Harry’s clit. It didn’t take much for Harry to start falling apart, her kisses getting rougher as Louis touched her until she finally pulled away, head thrown back and gasping for air as she came. She laid on top of Louis for a while, straddling her and occasionally grinding down with a happy sigh as they both caught their breath. 

“That was so fucking intense,” Louis whispered when she could speak again. She pushed her sweaty fringe off of her forehead and swept Harry’s curls away from where they were sticking to her face. “So good, baby.” She grabbed a handful of Harry’s arse and gave it a squeeze. “The best, ever.” 

Harry looked down at her with a glazed look in her eye, unfocused but smiling. “Was, wasn’t it? Intense, I mean. Good. Great. The best.” She giggled. “You were the best, I mean. Or. It was.”

Louis smacked her palm against Harry’s arse a couple of times gently as she tried to hold back a giggle of her own. “You’ve gone sex dazed, haven’t you, love? Just from doing that to me?” 

“Mayyybe,” Harry said, peeling herself off of Louis so she could snuggle into the crook of her arm. “Maybe you felt so good I couldn’t help it.” She bit at Louis’ shoulder and threw a leg over Louis’, settling even closer. 

It seemed ridiculous to Louis that she’d be blushing over Harry saying how good it felt to be inside her instead of Harry actually being inside her, but she couldn’t help the heat that rose to her face at Harry’s words. “Liked it, didya?” 

Harry nodded, her lips brushing over Louis’ skin. “Couldn’t believe I was doing it,” she whispered. “Like, I thought it’d be pretty much the same as usual, really, just more? But it was different, feeling you like that. All around me.” She bit a kiss into Louis’ skin and rocked against her slowly. “Coming apart with all these sounds you don’t usually make, and then, like, holding me in.” 

“Fuck, love.” Louis turned and pulled Harry in for a kiss, sliding her thigh between Harry’s legs and just letting her rut against it while they traded slow, drawn out kisses with one another. 

“Wanna come again but I also feel like I could sleep forever,” Harry said after a while spent kissing. She was still wet against Louis’ thigh, grinding down loose and easy and without any of the urgency she’d had earlier. 

“Could make you breakfast in the morning. Eat you out on the kitchen counter while pancakes cook.” 

Harry shook her head and leaned in to kiss Louis again. “That’s a recipe for disaster. Or ‘ve you already forgotten dinner the other night?” 

“Ahh, yeah, I had done, actually.” Louis ran her fingers through Harry’s hair. “So I’ll make tea and coffee in the morning, and then maybe before breakfast? I can--”

“Shh.” Harry pulled Louis closer and gave her a quick kiss, then untangled their limbs and rolled over. “Spoon me. We’ll figure it out in the morning.” She was asleep within minutes, snoring softly in Louis’ arms, and Louis followed her not long after. 

When they finally awoke it was later than either of them had intended. Harry was sniffling, already feeling the effects of not waking early enough to take her allergy medicine at the proper time, and Louis wasn’t much better. She still dragged herself out of bed, enjoying the ache between her legs as she stretched and quietly vowing to herself to make it up to Harry later. After breakfast. Right. 

She flicked on the kettle and googled a recipe for pancakes, scrolling through the instructions as she waited. The words blurred together, and Louis quickly realized there was no way she’d be able to make sense of the recipe without at least one cup of tea and a bit of help from Harry, so she pulled some eggs from the fridge instead and decided to make a couple of quick and easy egg butties. She was frying the eggs when Harry came down to join her. 

“Scrapped the pancakes?” Harry asked, resting her chin on Louis’ shoulder. 

“Realized it was a bit ambitious today. That alright?” Louis reached her arm behind her and tugged Harry a little closer before turning her attention back to the pan. 

“Course it is. It’s sweet you’re making me breakfast.” 

“There’s coffee, too. Didn’t forget you.” 

Harry made herself a coffee and leaned against the counter, drinking it slowly and watching Louis turn out the eggs and put the buttery bread into the pan, making a soft, appreciative “ooh” at the sizzle that had Louis rolling her eyes even as she smiled at the attention. They ate their sandwiches standing up, not bothering with plates and not shooing Marlene away when she twined between them to lick up the buttery grease that had dripped onto the floor. When they were finished, Louis laid her head on Harry’s shoulder and sighed. 

“Don’t wanna leave yet,” Louis said quietly. 

“No?” 

“I know this weekend was a bit of a shit show, but it’s turned out alright. This is nice, I mean.” 

Harry turned and wrapped her arms around Louis, tugging her closer. “We’ll get to do this loads when we live together. You’ll get sick of seeing me, probably.”

“I’d never,” Louis said, gasping at the offense. “Honestly, Hazza, as if I could ever tire of kissing you in the morning when you’re all messy and cute like this.” She kissed Harry, softly at first and then not-so-softly when Harry deepened the kiss. She was considering her options-- eating Harry out right here, like she’d said last night, or taking her back upstairs so they could really take their time --when she heard a noise from the front of the house. Marlene darted off, meowing loudly as she headed for the door. 

“Louis? Lou-bear?” 

That. That was definitely Louis’ mother. Louis pulled away from Harry’s kiss just in time to see her mum enter the kitchen, a bit tired looking but beaming nonetheless. 

“Oh! Oh, they’re in here, love,” Louis’ mum called out behind her. “I’m so glad you haven’t left yet, girls,” she said, turning back to look at Louis and Harry. They’d stepped apart from one another, and Louis glanced at Harry to see how she was doing and offer a non-verbal apology. Harry’s cheeks were pink, but other than that she seemed alright. Louis took the lead. 

“Hi Mum, didn’t think you were due back today. Thought it was always Monday?” 

“Well, hello to you too, Louis,” her mum said with a smirk. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Louis wrapped her mum in a tight embrace and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad to see you, just, um, didn’t expect it.” She released her mum and turned to Harry. “Harry, this is my mum, and Mum, this is Harry.” 

“Please call me Jay, darling,” she said, opening her arms. “May I give you a hug, Harry?” 

“Yes, please,” Harry said quietly. Louis stood back and watched as her mum and Harry embraced, not able to contain the fond smile that came to her face. 

“Sorry this is the first time the two of you are meeting. Didn’t mean for it to happen like that.”

“S’alright,” Harry said at the same moment that Jay said, “perfectly fine, dear.” They turned to each other and chuckled. 

“It’s very easy to forgive this one,” Jay said, reaching out to pat Louis’ shoulder. “Apparently you’ve already discovered that.” Harry only nodded, looking at the ground instead of at Louis, who was gazing at her like an absolute lovesick fool. She hadn’t realized how good it would feel to have Harry and her mum meet one another and get along right away, but now that it had happened she thought it was one of the best feelings she could have. 

“Do you think we could stay for an early dinner, Mum? I’d love to see you and Dad and let you get to know Harry a bit since we, um, decided to move in together next year.” 

Jay gasped, raising her hand to her chest and smiling beatifically as she looked between Harry and Louis. “That would be lovely. Absolutely, boo. There’s no chance the two of you can stay another night, is there?” 

They couldn’t, unfortunately, but they could take one of the later trains back to uni and still have plenty of rest, so they went and showered and packed up their things in anticipation of spending most of the day with Louis’ parents. To say that Harry hit it off with them would be an understatement. Jay adored her, and was happily sharing her recipe for cranberry scones with Harry before they’d even sat down to dinner that night, and Louis’ dad quickly realized he’d found someone who could appreciate his terrible puns and spent half the evening trying out new ones to groans from Louis and Jay and giggles (sometimes outright laughs) from Harry. 

The icing on the cake was the moment that Harry gave Jay the embroidery she’d made. Jay wrapped her up in a tight hug immediately, whispering something in Harry’s ear that made her choke out a quiet little “aw,” that Louis caught and tried to remember to ask about later. 

“It’s going up right now. This spot’s perfect,” Jay said, nudging Louis’ dad. “Darling, go get the hammer and a something to hang this on, will you? I’d love to put Harry’s gift up before she’s gone, maybe get a picture with it.” 

“Mu-umm,” Louis whined, eyes wide as she shook her head slightly. Her mother just rolled her eyes and gave her a look that said it all. She could tell that Louis wasn’t bothered or embarrassed in the least, and that if anything she loved the attention that Harry was getting. And when Louis looked at Harry, she could see Harry was enjoying it too. “Fine,” Louis said. “But at least a couple of the pictures need to be silly ones.” 

The time to go to the train station came sooner than Louis wanted, and she was glad that her parents were taking her and Harry to the station instead of letting them call an Uber. She promised to call her mum when they arrived, and the four of them shared hugs back and forth before she and Harry boarded the train. When they’d finally settled, Louis threw her arm around Harry and let her snuggle in close, inhaling the warm vanilla scent of her skin as she kissed the top of Harry’s head. 

“Had fun?” 

Harry hummed happily at her. “Yeah. They’re wonderful, Lou. Your mum is so much like you, and your dad is lovely as well. ‘M so happy I got to meet them.” 

“So the weekend wasn’t a complete disaster, then?” 

“What?” Harry sat up and looked at Louis, eyebrows raised. “It was perfect!” 

“Baby. Perfect? Really?” Louis poked gently at Harry’s thigh. “Are you forgetting most of the first half of the weekend? And then a good portion of yesterday?” 

“No,” Harry pouted. “Just felt like it was outweighed by everything good, y’know?” 

Louis opened her arms and waited til Harry fell back into her willingly. “You’re right, baby. It was beautiful. And I’m lucky to have you.” Harry cuddled closer, wrapping her arms around Louis and nosing into her neck until Louis giggled at the ticklish sensation. “We’ll have a hard time beating this at a year.” 

“I’ll plan that one,” Harry said, smiling against Louis’ skin. 

That sounded like a very good idea.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes: 
> 
> -I realize Harry's allergy medicine is unrealistically good. I hope that it didn't take you out of the fic too much.  
> -Obviously in addition to being girl direction I've taken quite a few liberties with Louis' family, in that she has no siblings and her dad is not any dad that Louis ever had.  
> -That was my first time writing smut in ages, so if you enjoyed it please let me know so I can stop stressing over it? 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> The fic post is [here](https://tmblr.co/Z0sn1v2eCOG8C) if you'd like to reblog it, and I love hearing from folks on [tumblr](http://homosociallyyours.tumblr.com) always.


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